


Letting You Walk Away

by Palizinha



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, usual suicide warnings for late Days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palizinha/pseuds/Palizinha
Summary: In which Roxas walks in during Axel and Xion's fight in front of the Old Mansion, and learns how dangerous it is to know the whole truth.





	Letting You Walk Away

He’s motivated when he first reaches Twilight Town.

It’s the place he was born in, the world he came from. If anywhere can give him the answers he needs…

By the next day, Roxas first wonders whether it was a good idea, to leave the Organization without trying to squeeze information out of Saix when they fought, without pressing Axel just a little more.

Because turns out he’s been in the Organization for so long, he doesn’t really know what do to when outside of it. And even though he had hoped otherwise, it’s pretty clear that just scouring the town for clues won’t result in much.

He needs help, but there is no one _left_ to give him that help. He doesn’t know where Xion is, though he hopes she’s as far away from Axel and the others as possible, considering everything he had to hear from Xemnas during the last meeting he sat on.

And Axel… Axel had his chance. He made his own choice, no matter how Roxas had pleaded.

There was just one place he hasn’t looked. It’s a place that, whenever he went to Twilight Town recently, just gives him a very weird feeling. He has avoided it as much as he could, and he’s not sure he can bring himself to go there even now.

He tries to make his choice while walking through the woods, knowing the Mansion he saw so many times during missions was close.

But the choice is made for him, because he hears sounds of metal on metal that seem so familiar he feels a tightening on his chest.

It couldn’t be them, could it?

Fearing the worst, Roxas runs as fast as he can, and when he has his worst fears confirmed, he finds himself not being able to do anything at first but what he had done the first time he had watched this.

“STOP!”

Roxas is surprised when his scream actually stops both Axel and Xion, as opposed to last time, when Xion stopped and Axel took advantage of that.

“Roxas,” Axel seems strangely apologetic as he turns to look at him, and Roxas gets angrier after that.

“You let me go, didn’t you? You let her go, too. Then why is it… are Xemnas’ threats so scary you’re just willing to turn your back on us how many times are needed? Aren’t we supposed to be best friends?”

“Sure, but I’m not willing to get myself turned into a Dusk because-“

“I see,” Roxas narrows his eyes, and he notices both Xion and Axel know what he’s about to do.

“Roxas, please, I think it’s best if you don’t get involved on this,” Xion pleads, and Roxas is confused for a moment. He wants to help her, Axel is strong and he isn’t sure either of them could beat him by themselves. But together, they definitely could, right?

“Roxas, I think it’s best you think about what you’re doing. If you fight me, I don’t think you’ll like the result. Getting Xion back to the Organization is as much for her sake as mine, don’t you understand?” Axel acts like he thinks Roxas will just believe him, that it’s somehow best for Xion if she gets brought back to a place where everyone treats her badly.

“Shut up! You don’t get to tell me anything! You lied to me the whole time! You think I’ll just believe whatever you have to say now?”

 Roxas summons his Keyblade and gets into his usual fighting stance. Axel uses a portal and for a moment Roxas hopes he gave up, but then he hears another portal opening behind him and turns to stop Axel’s chakram just in time.

“Roxas, you need to listen to me!”

Roxas ignores him, trying to fight on the top of his game despite how weak he still feels.

He realizes soon that it won’t work, not when he’s tired from not sleeping at all and walking around town instead. Not when...

Axel almost gets one of his chakram throws past Roxas’ guard, but it gets off track by a quick Blizzard coming from somewhere by Roxas’ side.

“Axel’s not lying to you this time, Roxas,” Xion sounds strangely defeated as she says that, and Roxas almost misses defending from Axel’s next attack because of how much the statement surprises him.

“W-what do you mean?”

“You can’t both live stably, Roxas, you surely have figured that out by now,” Axel taunts as Roxas cuts through one of his fireballs.

Roxas knows what he’s talking about. Xion was supposed to copy his powers, but then the Organization had decided it was easier to just have one. If that was the case, this meant she wasn’t doubling the power, and instead was taking it from him.

They only needed one, because otherwise neither would be at their best.

“What does that have to do with it?” Roxas feels like he knows part of what’s going on and it brings him absolute dread. But surely that isn’t really the case, surely Xion doesn’t plan on killing-

“Our lives aren’t the only ones in the line, Roxas,” Xion admits, and even Axel stops attacking after that. “Sora is in trouble, too.”

“Sora?” Roxas repeats, because is that it? Is Xion going to give him the answer now? Is he finally going to know the truth?

“Sora doesn’t matter,” Axel scoffs, but puts his chakrams away. Roxas can’t bring himself to do the same with the Keyblade. “I’ll tell you, if you are oh so determined to put Xion in danger just ‘cause you’re angry with me. You’re his Nobody. That’s not really hard to figure out, and also isn’t the part that matters.”

His Nobody. Of course. Roxas had often wondered why Sora’s name felt so familiar, sorta like getting visions and dreams about the boy in red. This means Sora _is_ the boy in red, surely, but that doesn’t explain…

“Sora lost his heart. If I was born, he lost his heart. He’s a Heartless. How does he even tie into all this?”

“That’s where it gets interesting. Sora was restored. I never told you about what my mission in Castle Oblivion was, and that’s because I met him there. Marluxia’s goal was to hijack Sora by replacing his memories with fake ones, making him completely loyal to our dear Naminé. Of course, things didn’t go as planned and it got him killed.”

Naminé? The name sounds awfully familiar to him, someone he never met, but that he feels like he has known all along. Is Naminé part of Sora’s memories, someone from the island in his dreams?

“Sora’s memories got scattered by Naminé,” Xion started talking then, and Roxas turned to look at her, though she couldn’t look at him in the eye. “I made things worse, because I started taking them. And you did, too. Sora’s sleeping. He needs his memories back, or he’ll never wake up. But in order for his memories to return, we…”

“We need to give it up for him,” Roxas realizes, knowing exactly what that means. “Xion… you are going to do it, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

It’s a simple answer, but somehow so hard to hear it gets his eyes wet, especially because of the lack of hesitation in her voice.

“I’m sure you understand me now, Roxas,” Axel gives him a smile. “I meant what I said, we need to help Xion. If she goes back inside that Mansion, we’re never gonna see her again. You don’t want that, do you?”

“No…” Roxas answers honestly. The mere thought of losing Xion because of a guy he never met, a guy _she_ never met…

Axel grins and pulls his chakrams back out, attacking Xion without looking at Roxas.

Roxas watches it for a moment, and finally decides what he’s going to do.

It takes one well-aimed attack and Axel passes out, the fatigue of all the fighting they had done making the hit to his back the only thing necessary. Just to be certain, he opens a portal and puts Axel through it, so he can’t wake up and just attack them again with no warning.

Roxas looks up from the spot Axel had just disappeared from and Xion stares back, neither able to say a word just then. He knows she won’t change her mind doesn’t matter how much he tries to convince her otherwise, and even though he doesn’t want to understand why she would want to do it, he realizes he somewhat does.

Xion starts to walk, passing by him. Roxas closes his eyes and grabs her arm. “I’m not letting you walk into your doom alone, Xion.”

“Roxas…” Xion says hesitantly. She uses her free arm to take his hand, but instead of putting it away, she holds it instead. “I’m not asking you to decide now whether you’re going to do the same. It’s not enough if it’s just me, but as soon as I’m gone your power will return to you in full, so you might actually have a chance to dodge the Organization until you decide.”

“And what if I choose differently from you?”

“Then… you get stronger, and you free Kingdom Hearts from Xemnas once you’re strong enough to take him and the rest of the Organization on. What we did in capturing all those hearts was a bad thing, Roxas. It always has been.”

A part of Roxas had known that, giving up thousands of hearts to restore nine was never a fair deal. But he had done it, because he was ordered to and those orders were the only thing he ever had, he hadn’t really questioned it. But hearing this being said out loud makes things heavier.

“I know.”

Xion gives him a small smile and lets go of his hand, but as she walks into the Mansion he follows her inside.

“I’m not deciding now. If someone here tries to force me to die for Sora right now, I’m leaving. But I won’t let you do this alone, as long as I’m able to stay by your side.”

Xion leads him into the second floor, and into a white room.

A girl that looks a lot like Xion perks up at the sight of them, and Roxas somehow can tell it’s Naminé.

“Did you manage to deal with the intruder?” Naminé asks, getting up from her chair to walk until she stands close to them.

Xion nods, but doesn’t say anything. Roxas knows this is harder on her than she’s trying to let it show, and tries to give her support by putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Roxas, I have always wanted to meet you,” Naminé smiles at him to try to lighten the mood, but Roxas can’t return the gesture, not now.

“There is something else I need to tell you, Roxas,” Xion turns to him, and he sees the clear sadness in her eyes then. “I exist due to Sora’s memories, so when I return them to him, it will erase all signs I ever existed.”

Roxas looks at her with pure terror. He’s going to lose her, and also won’t be able to know she’s ever been his friend?

Roxas hugs her, trying to let her know everything he wants to say without a word, because he’s not sure he can speak without crying, and he doesn’t want to make things harder for her.

Xion hugs him back, and Roxas hears her cry against his shoulder, fighting against his own tears.

After a while, Xion’s head leaves his shoulder and he sees her nod at Naminé.

“I think you can’t follow us from here, Roxas, unless you plan on going back to Sora right now,” Naminé stops him as he begins to walk with them. “I’m not sure what would happen if you two stood close together, but there’s a possibility it might just rob you of a choice.”

Roxas wants to question that logic, but he doesn’t, because he’s not sure the possible outcome is something he would be able to handle yet.

He watches Xion and Naminé walk ahead without him, and finally reach a door in the other side of the floor. He still watches when Xion turns back to look at him right before they walk inside the room.

As soon as they’re in, he closes his eyes, and finally permits his tears to fall.


End file.
